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Historic flight plan

1933: Isthmian Airways, a sightseeing flight over the Panama Canal

A Michel Lagneau historic route presented as a clear cockpit briefing, ready to help you prepare the simulator, follow each stopover and enjoy the journey.

Period1933AuthorMichel LagneauReading3 min
14Waypoints~ 131 kmDistance2Segments

Interactive route, leg by leg, with animated playback.

Real route map

Approximate track based on the article waypoints and available aeronautical coordinates.

01Atlantic to Pacific02Pacific to Atlantic
Coordinates: OurAirports + historical points
Pre-flight briefing

Isthmian Airways, a sightseeing flight over the Panama Canal

01

Understand the mission

Start with the historic context: it sets the atmosphere, aircraft choice and overall logic of the journey.

02

Prepare the simulator

Check scenery, recommended aircraft, fuel and weather before launching the first leg.

03

Follow the legs

Use the airport codes, flying times and route notes to build your navigation leg by leg.

04

Enjoy the journey

Let the route shape the experience: adjust lighting, document waypoints and take time to rediscover the story.

Historic flight plan

Michel Lagneau route notebook

Settle into the cockpit, prepare your aircraft and follow the journey as a proper historic crossing.

Michel Lagneau

Thirty minutes over a legendary engineering work

Isthmian Airways offered sightseeing flights over the Panama Canal between 1929 and 1936. The idea is simple and brilliant: take off on the Atlantic side, follow locks and terrain along the canal, reach the Pacific and return.

An amphibious Beechcraft D18S is a good choice, but the real focus is low-level flying and accurate overfly points.

Period1933
AirlineIsthmian Airways Inc.
Suggested aircraftAmphibious Beechcraft D18S or equivalent
NavigationGPS and overfly coordinates

Seaplane setup

  • Place the aircraft near Colon MPEJ, then move it to the water at Manzanillo Bay.
  • Set altitude to zero in the simulator map to obtain a proper water departure.
  • Fly slowly and neatly: this is an aerial sightseeing tour more than a transport service.

Suggested route

Atlantic to Pacific

Fly this chapter as an organized sequence, keeping the departures, arrivals and stops shown in the navigation cards.

MANZ → GATUN → BARRO → CBAL → CGOLD → PMIG → MIRA → BALBOA

Pacific to Atlantic

This chapter sets the logic of the Pacific to Atlantic segment: move step by step without compressing the historical progression.

BALBOA → MIRA → PMIG → CGOLD → BARRO → GATUN → MANZ

Navigation steps

  1. Atlantic to PacificManzanillo Bay / 09 21 39 N, 79 53 12 W → Gatun Locks departure point
    Gatun Locks → Point 1 → southern Barro Colorado → Cerro Balboa canal overflights
    Cerro Balboa → Cerro Gold → Pedro Miguel Locks → Miraflores Locks canal overflights
    Miraflores Locks → Balboa Harbor / 08 57 00 N, 79 34 00 W Pacific arrival
  2. Pacific to AtlanticBalboa Harbor → Miraflores Locks → Pedro Miguel Locks return
    Pedro Miguel → Cerro Gold → northern Barro Colorado → Gatun Locks return
    Gatun Locks → Manzanillo Bay final landing

© Michel Lagneau 2018